Monday, January 30, 2012

I have such a short fuse lately when it comes to the news. I think about blogging about things (the latest being Alabama's disgusting, cruel new immigration law, which is just one of numerous disgusting immigration laws in place all over the world today), then realize it's going to be a huge energy suck because of how angry I am... and I need to save my energy for my work. (Which is always at least indirectly about the news anyway.)

So this is going to be another post of Rome pictures. The last post of Rome pictures -- and by the way, if you're new to my blog, I assure you that I hardly ever post as many pictures as I've been posting. Really, you're all the victims of my fascinating new phone. I've never wanted to take pictures before, ever in my life, until I got this phone...

So. I adore the work of sculptor Gianlorenzo Bernini (1598-1680, Italy). It's one of the reasons Rome is one of my favorite cities – it's full of his sculptures. You can see them in museums; you can see them on the street. One of his sculptures, Apollo and Daphne, inspired one aspect of Bitterblue, which I'm sure I'll be talking about more on this blog at some point (I have lots to say about Bitterblue, but there's not much point in saying it until more people have it in their hands and have read it). In this post, I want to share some images of Bernini's famous fountain, Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi ("The Fountain of Four Rivers"), which sits in Rome's Piazza Navona.

Look at how perfect he is. Look at his feet and hands.

It's a statue with many emerging forms. Can you see the horse?

This man is my favorite.

Here's another angle. Takes my breath away.
Can you see the emerging alligator-type-thing?

Horse again

Emerging lion

On my last night, I went to Piazza Navona to see the fountain. My memory was working in its typical way – I remembered that I loved the fountain, but I didn't remember anything else about it, including what exactly it was about or even that Bernini had been the one to design it. The sight of it took my breath away. I thought in my head, "Wow, good as a Bernini." But still, I didn't remember that it was a Bernini – until I got back to the hotel and looked it up online. I was not particularly surprised.

To see a picture of the fountain entire, learn where I got my subject heading, and read about what all the figures in the fountain mean, go to the fountain's Wikipedia page. And if you're ever in Rome and want to see more Bernini, by all means, go to the Galleria Borghese.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

All photos are of ceilings unless otherwise indicated. All are from Rome. All were taken on my phone, which is an iPhone 4S. And last time I checked, Blogger was crap at jump cuts, but this post has 30+ pictures, so I can't not. After the second picture, click on the link that says "Read more"... or, to see all the pictures, just click here.

ETA 1/27/12: Blogger, I hate you. My apologies to anyone whose blog readers were overwhelmed by this post during the time Blogger decided to arbitrarily remove my jump cut! Should be back now.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

-- just had to come onto the blog to say that the final (3rd) episode of Series 2 of the BBC's Sherlock, "The Reichenbach Fall," is among my favorite ever 90 minutes of television. Congratulations to everyone who had anything to do with making this episode. I believe in these characters, and all of their feelings, 101%. (Also, I love Molly and I'm dying to know what she did.) Here's a teaser by the BBC which is inadequate at expressing the awesomeness, but will acquaint you with some of the main players:

Monday, January 16, 2012

Me at the local yummy vegetarian foodie place (Life Alive. Stupid name, delicious food. Also, no, I am not a vegetarian): I'd like the Romantic Wrap. Please add eggs and greens.
The guy: The Romantic Wrap, add eggs and beets?
Me: Eggs and greens.
The guy: I'm afraid we don't have any beans.
Me: GREENS! I WANT GREENS!

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So, travel puts a lot into me, but it also takes a lot out of me, and lately I've been using what I've got for stuff other than blogging. My expectation is that this will result in you someday soon having more fiction by me to read. Fair deal?

On Wednesday I leave for Rome and environs, where I'll be doing some research into small medieval towns. A friend doing research into small medieval towns talked me into joining her. It's nice to have friends with common objectives :-)

Finally, my lack of blog brain makes me grateful to Brian Ibbot of Coverville for providing me something awesome to repost: this video of the band Walk off the Earth (link automatically plays music) covering Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," all five of them on a single guitar. Funny that around 2:55, the guy on the far right is making the guitar sound like a piano (IMO) -- reminding me, of course, that a piano is a string instrument.

Monday, January 9, 2012

You know it's a good trip when you don't pine for home even once. And you know you love your home when you get back and find yourself practically skipping from room to room because you're so happy to be there. Three weeks is a long time to be away from home! All of my plants utterly thrived while I was gone, which is a sign that (1) as I suspected, I have been overwatering them this winter (they *loved* not been watered for three weeks); and (2) re: my orchids, which would *not* have loved not being watered for three weeks, I have an excellent steward. :o)

The sight that welcomed me home.

I'm soaking in as much home as I can right now, because I leave on another trip in ten-ish days.

Loved the recent cover feature in Boston Magazine called "Single by Choice," by Janelle Nanos. "When it comes to getting hitched, more Americans than ever before are saying 'I don't.' Singles now make up nearly half the adult population in this country, and new research suggests they’re happier, more social, and more active in the community than many of their wedded counterparts. Now if only their friends and family (and oh, while we're at it, coworkers, benefits providers, and the federal government) would get off their back." (H/t JD!)

Monday, January 2, 2012

I just stumbled across a list of books about body image, health, and dieting and had the urge to list them here on my blog, now, at the New Year, when the societal pressure toward weight loss rises to a fever pitch. In case it is helpful for anyone to know that books like this exist:

Wolf, Naomi. The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women. New York: William Morrow and Company, 1991.

Please note that I haven't read any of these books. Please bring your open mind and your critical mind to them, as I expect you always do.

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My New Year's resolution is special this year, because 2012 is set to be a pretty crazy year for me, what with Bitterblue entering the world. It's also pretty broad: I resolve to try to remember what matters.

Quick Links

"Then, at last, sitting on her stretcher-bed, she took from the very bottom of her pack an old peacock-blue scarf folded around a heavy, square book. She unwrapped it and opened it very carefully, as if guilty secrets might fall from between its pages like pressed flowers. This was Harry's secret. She was a writer."

-from The Tricksters, by Margaret Mahy

Writing is my secret. Every day I unwrap and open it as carefully as I can. Welcome to my blog about writing and life! Above you'll find quick links about me and my books, and below is more about me, ways to subscribe, and an archive of past posts. Click here to go home to my most recent posts.

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About the Author

Kristin Cashore wrote the New York Times bestsellers Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue, all of which have been named ALA Best Books for Young Adults. Her next book, Jane, Unlimited, comes out in September 2017. Graceling is the winner of the 2009 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children's Literature and Fire is the winner of the Amelia Elizabeth Walden Award. The books are world travelers, currently scheduled to be published in thirty-four languages.

Finally, a note: This blog is my only online presence. I am not on Facebook, Google+, or any other social media sites, and I use Twitter solely as an amalgamation feed for my blog. Sorry, but I do not read @-replies on Twitter!